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. 1987 Jan;83(1):97–104. doi: 10.1104/pp.83.1.97

The Path of Carbon Flow during NO3−-Induced Photosynthetic Suppression in N-Limited Selenastrum minutum1

Ivor R Elrifi 1, David H Turpin 1
PMCID: PMC1056305  PMID: 16665223

Abstract

Nitrate addition to nitrate-limited cultures of Selenastrum minutum Naeg. Collins (Chlorophyta) resulted in a 70% suppression of photosynthetic carbon fixation. In 14CO2 pulse/chase experiments nitrate resupply increased radiolabel incorporation into amino and organic acids and decreased radiolabel incorporation into insoluble material. Nitrate resupply increased the concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate and increased the radiolabeling of phosphoenolpyruvate, pyruvate and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, notably citrate, fumarate, and malate. Furthermore, nitrate also increased the pool sizes and radiolabeling of most amino acids, with alanine, aspartate, glutamate, and glutamine showing the largest changes. Nitrate resupply increased the proportion of radiolabel in the C-4 position of malate and increased the ratios of radiolabel in aspartate to phosphoenolpyruvate and in pyruvate to phosphoenolpyruvate, indicative of increased phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase and pyruvate kinase activities. Analysis of these data showed that the rate of carbon flow through glutamate (10.6 μmoles glutamate per milligram chlorophyll per hour) and the rate of net glutamate production (7.9 μmoles glutamate per milligram chlorophyll per hour) were both greater than the maximum rate of carbon export from the Calvin cycle which could be maintained during steady state photosynthesis. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that nitrogen resupply to nitrogen-limited microalgae results in a transient suppression of photosynthetic carbon fixation due, in part, to the severity of competition for carbon skeletons between the Calvin cycle and nitrogen assimilation (IR Elrifi, DH Turpin 1986 Plant Physiol 81: 273-279).

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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